Research

Research Highlight

A joint research team led by Prof. Sang Ouk Kim and Keon Jae Lee in the
Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST and Prof. Kwang Ho Kim
at Pusan Nat. Univ., has developed a technique for
fabricating semiconductors using camera flash.

This technology is
capable of producing ultra-fine patterns on a wafer scale large area
by irradiating a single flash with a 7-nanometer patterning technique for
semiconductors. In the future, it is expected that it can be used for
manufacturing high efficiency and highly integrated semiconductor devices.

The research
results, which was co-1st authored by Dr. Hyeong Min Jin, and Ph.D. student of
Dae Yong Park, were published online at Advanced Materials in the August 21.

High-capacity,
high-performance semiconductor devices are essential for artificial
intelligence (AI), Internet of things (IoT), and big data. In order to produce
such a next-generation highly integrated semiconductor device, it is essential
to develop a lithography technique that forms an ultra-fine pattern.

Currently, related
industries have mainly used conventional photolithography for small patterns.
However, this technique has limitations in forming a pattern of sub-10 nm
pattern.

Molecular assembly
patterning technology using polymer has been in the spotlight as the next
generation technology to replace photolithography because it is low in process
cost and can easily form sub-10 nm patterns. However, since it generally takes
a long time to heat treatment at high temperature or toxic solvent vapor
treatment, mass production is difficult and commercialization has been limited.

The research team
introduced camera flash that instantly emit strong light to solve this issues
of polymer molecular assembly patterning. Using flash light, it can be possible
to achieve a semiconductor pattern of 7 nanometers within 15 milliseconds (1
millisecond: 1/1000 second), which can generate high temperature of several
hundred degree Celsius in a short time of several tens of milliseconds.

The team have
demonstrated that applying this technique to polymer molecular assembly allows
a single flash of light to form molecular assembly patterns.

The team also
confirmed that it could be applied to polymer flexible substrates that could
not be compatible at high temperatures process. It can be applied to the
fabrication of next generation flexible semiconductor.

The researchers
said the camera flash photo-thermal process is introduced into molecular
assembly technology and this high-efficiency technology can accelerate the
realization of molecular assembly semiconductor technology.

Prof. Sang Ouk
Kim, who led the research, said “Despite the potential, molecular assembly
semiconductor technology has remained a big challenge in improving process
efficiency.”, “This technology will be a breakthrough solution for the
practical use of molecular assembly-based semiconductors.”